The New Year at the Patriarchal Cathedral

3/1/2013

On the occasion of the New civil Year 2013, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, celebrated the Akathist of Jesus Christ, our Lord, assisted by a group of priests and deacons in the presence of many faithful.

The Akathist service was accompanied by thanksgiving services for the beneficences received last year and by prayers for the beginning of the year. Four prayers were said: Prayer of Isaac the Syrian to the Lord (Akathist), Thanksgiving prayer and two prayers for the beginning of the new year, one of the Romanian liturgical tradition, a Slavonic one (of the Te Deum), and another one of the Greek tradition recently translated into the Romanian language.

To end with, the Patriarch of Romania delivered a speech entitled “Joy of the consecration of time”, in which he showed, among other things, that the passage from one to another must be met with prayers, and the best place for ending the last year and meeting the new one is the Church.

“The Akathist service of Jesus Christ, our Lord, celebrated at the end of the A.D. or Year of salvation 2012 and beginning of 2013 shows us the importance of the consecration of the time of our life, through the call of Jesus Christ, our Lord, through whom the world was made (cf. John 1:3) and the centuries (cf. Hebrews 1:2), because He is also named the Emperor of the centuries. The best place for ending the old year and meeting the new one is the Church of Christ, because she is the place of meeting the time with eternity, as they first met in the Person of the Word incarnated or the Eternal Son of God, Who was made Man living in time, in order to give the people the salvation and eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the Church, the time consecrated through prayer and good deeds as meeting of man with God gives the faithful the possibility to be saved and participate in the eternal life. For the Church, the time of the present life has only one meaning: it is the time of salvation: “Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2), said His Beatitude.

To end with his speech, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel wished all those present many happy years with growth in faith: “May Christ, our Lord, the King of time, give you all those who pray, at the turn of the year, good health and salvation, peace and joy, bless your families and activity, and fulfil all your good wishes, for the glory of the Most Holy Trinity and joy of the saints. May you live many happy years, with growth in faith and good deeds!”

This religious service is a good opportunity to make solemn the turn of the years in the public cult, to thank Most Holy Trinity for the beneficences received, and ask for the blessing of the year which begins and for deepening the meanings of the royal feast of the 1st of January.

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